April 3, 2025
MIDDLE EAST | U.S. TARIFFS | WASHINGTON | NEW YORK | U.S. AND CANADA | U.S., RUSSIA, AND IRAN | NATO | MYANMAR | HUNGARY | ISRAEL | TURKEY | SHINGLES AND DEMENTIA | SOCIAL MEDIA | BASEBALL | TODAY IN HISTORY
MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:
- A day after Israel announced plans to establish a new security corridor separating the southern Gaza cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, Palestinian health officials said today that at least 55 people were killed overnight in Israeli strikes across Gaza. [more]
- The Israeli military says its forces struck two airbases in central Syria overnight in a move Syrian officials condemned as an "unjustified escalation." Reports note that the Israeli strike came amidst reports that Turkey was moving to station jets and air defenses at Syrian airbases. [more]
U.S. TARIFFS | President Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on goods from nearly all U.S. trading partners yesterday, including a 10% baseline tariff on all imports and varying levels of so-called reciprocal tariffs as high as 54% on specific countries. Trump declared that foreign trade and economic practices have created a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, allowing him to impose the tariffs without related Congressional action. Global stock markets and U.S. stock futures are down this morning as international reaction to the U.S. tariffs builds, with the E.U., China, and Canada among the countries who have already vowed their own tariff retaliations. [full tariff executive order] [more]
WASHINGTON | Reports say federal immigration agents arrested 37 people yesterday at a roofing business in Bellingham, Washington, as part of what authorities said was an "ongoing criminal investigation into the unlawful employment of aliens without legal work authorization in violation of federal law." [more]
NEW YORK | A federal judge yesterday accepted the Justice Department's request to dismiss the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, saying that courts can’t force prosecutors to move forward with a case. The dismissal was done, however, "with prejudice," denying prosecutors the option to refile the charges against Adams at a later date. [more]
U.S. AND CANADA | The U.S. Senate voted, 51-48, yesterday to approve a resolution aimed at nullifying President Donald Trump's emergency declaration on fentanyl trafficking that underpins tariffs imposed on Canadian goods. The measure is not expected to pass in the House, according to analysts. [more]
U.S., RUSSIA, AND IRAN | The Russian Foreign Ministry said today that U.S. threats of military strikes against Iran are unacceptable and that there could be "catastrophic results" if Iranian nuclear installations are hit. The statement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that Iran could be bombed if it fails to reach an agreement with the U.S. over its nuclear program. [more]
NATO | Amidst international concern over U.S. commitment to the alliance, NATO foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels today for talks expected to center on alliance funding, Ukraine, Russia, and China. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker are the U.S. delegates to the summit. [more]
MYANMAR | Myanmar's military-led government said today that the death toll from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the country's central region last week has risen to 3,085 and that more than 4,700 others have been injured. Reports note that ongoing communications issues have complicated damage and casualty reporting and that the death toll is expected to rise as more remote areas are assessed. [more]
HUNGARY | Government officials said that Hungary will begin the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court today. The announcement came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the subject of an ICC arrest warrant, arrived in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, today for talks with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. [more]
ISRAEL | According to Israeli media, two long-time associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were arrested this week on suspicion of improperly accepting funds to improve Qatar’s image among Israelis while the Gulf Arab state was negotiating on behalf of Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu has condemned the arrests and related investigation as being politically motivated. [more]
TURKEY | The Turkish government has reportedly fined social media giant Meta for refusing to restrict content on the company's Facebook and Instagram platforms about widespread protests in Turkey following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Meta described the fine as "substantial," but did not disclose the exact amount. [more]
SHINGLES AND DEMENTIA | A new study published in the journal Nature concludes that shingles vaccination in older adults is associated with about a 20% reduced risk of developing dementia in the subsequent seven years. Researchers note that the study analyzed data in patients who received an older shingles vaccine, Zostavax, and that additional study is needed to confirm similar findings with the newer Shingrix vaccine. [full study] [more]
SOCIAL MEDIA | Ahead of a Saturday deadline for Chinese company ByteDance to divest the U.S. operations of its social media platform TikTok or risk having it banned, e-commerce giant Amazon, software company Oracle, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI, and investment firm Blackstone have emerged as potential purchasers or partners. [more]
BASEBALL | According to an Associated Press study, the average salary for Major League Baseball players in 2025 rose above $5 million on opening day for the first time. The report notes that the New York Mets' Juan Soto is the highest-paid MLB player at $61,875,000 for the 2025 season. [more]
TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1948, the Marshall Plan – designed to help European allies rebuild after World War II and resist communism – was signed into law by U.S. President Harry S. Truman. [more history]